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Finland, without its NHL stars, tops Canada for hockey world title

By OlympicTalkMay 26, 2019, 4:40 PM EDT
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Finland’s roster for the world men’s hockey championship included zero players who finished the 2018-19 season on an NHL team. Didn’t matter, the Finns knocked out the last three nations to win world titles en route to their first gold since 2011.

Finland beat Canada 3-1 in Sunday’s final in Bratislava, Slovakia, getting two goals from captain Marko Anttila, a 2004 Chicago Blackhawks draft pick who plays in the KHL (and has never played in the NHL). Anttila also scored the lone goal in Saturday’s semifinal with Russia.

The most notable name on Finland’s roster may be its youngest. Forward Kaapo Kakko, 18, could be the No. 2 pick in the NHL Draft behind American Jack Hughes.

Finland became the first nation to win a world title without a player who finished the season on an NHL roster since at least 1993, not counting the 1995 and 2005 lockout years. The NHL didn’t participate in the Olympics until 1998.

Canada’s roster was headlined by Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray, Nashville Predators forward Kyle Turris as captain and Philadelphia Flyers veteran forward Sean Couturier. But it lacked the superstars of recent years like Connor McDavid (2018), Claude Giroux (2017), Brad Marchand (2016) and Sidney Crosby (2015).

The Russians had stalwarts Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk but were blanked by Finland in the semifinals and ended up with bronze over the Czech Republic. They eliminated the Patrick Kane-captained Americans in the quarterfinals.

MORE: Great Britain gets first win at hockey worlds in 57 years

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Sam Girard, Olympic short track champion, surprisingly retires at age 22

Sam Girard
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By OlympicTalkMay 24, 2019, 5:03 PM EDT
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Sam Girard, who avoided a three-skater pileup to win the PyeongChang Olympic 1000m, retired from short track speed skating at age 22, saying he lost the desire to compete.

“I leave my sport satisfied with what I have accomplished,” Girard said in a press release. “This decision was very well thought through. I am at peace with the choice that I’ve made and am ready to move onto the next step.”

Girard and girlfriend and fellow Olympic skater Kasandra Bradette announced their careers end together in a tearful French-language press conference in Quebec on Friday.

Girard detailed the decision in a letter, the sacrifices made to pursue skating. Notably, moving from his hometown of Ferland-et-Boilleau, population 600, to Montreal in 2012. His hobbies had been of the outdoor variety, but he now had to drive an hour and a half from the training center just to go fishing.

In PyeongChang, Girard led for most of the 1000m final, which meant he avoided chaos behind him on the penultimate lap of the nine-lap race. Hungarian Liu Shaolin Sandor‘s inside pass took out South Koreans Lim Hyo-Jun and Seo Yi-Ra, leaving just Girard and American John-Henry Krueger.

Girard maintained his lead, crossing .214 in front of Krueger to claim the title. He also finished fourth in the 500m and 1500m and earned bronze in the relay.

“My first Olympics, won a gold medal, can’t ask for more,” he said afterward.

Though Girard was already accomplished — earning individual silver medals at the 2016 and 2017 Worlds — he came to PyeongChang as the heir apparent to Charles Hamelin, a roommate on the World Cup circuit whom Girard likened to a big brother. Girard earned another world silver medal this past season.

Hamelin, after taking individual gold in 2010 and 2014, left PyeongChang without an individual medal in what many expected to be his last Olympics. However, he went back on a retirement vow and continued to skate through the 2018-19 season.

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MORE: J.R. Celski explains decision to retire

Maia, Alex Shibutani extend break from ice dance competition

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By Rachel LutzMay 24, 2019, 11:56 AM EDT
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Finland, without its NHL stars, tops Canada for hockey world title U.S. diving roster for world championships finalized at nationals Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat win first tournament title together

Brother-sister ice dance duo Maia and Alex Shibutani will not compete next season, the Olympic bronze medalists announced via U.S. Figure Skating on Friday.

“We’re healthier and stronger than we were after the Olympics, and we’re continuing to push ourselves,” Maia Shibutani said in a press release.

“We’ve continued to skate a lot, and we feel like we’ve benefited from some time away to create in different environments and focus on experiences that can help us grow,” Alex said.

The “Shib Sibs” won the U.S. title in 2016 and 2017. They won their first world medal in 2011 (bronze) before reaching the world podium again in 2016 and 2017 with silver and bronze, respectively.

They most recently competed at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where they earned bronze both individually and in the team event.

Maia and Alex Shibutani are now the second ice dance medalists from PyeongChang to announce they’ll sit out at least part of next season. Gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada will tour instead this fall and are not expected to return to competition.

The siblings haven’t stayed away from the ice entirely in their break from the sport, though — they’ve also been touring and performing in shows.

The Shibutanis became the second set of siblings to earn Olympic ice dance medals after France’s Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay in 1992.

MORE: How Gracie Gold landed in Philadelphia, thoughts competitive return

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